Tourism
minister Catherine Namugala says her statement that politics were dirty,
especially for women has been misunderstood by the people raising questions
about her conduct.

But MMD national executive committee (NEC) member
Judith Kapijimpanga said she had not misunderstood Namugala’s statement, and
demanded that Namugala should remove the illicit vice of scheming against other
women.

In an interview, Namugala who was in Livingstone to attend the
Kavango-Zambezi Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) Ministerial
meeting, Namugala said what she said was to try and help make politics easy for
the women.

“It is unfortunate that this is being misunderstood. What was
meant to be a genuine statement has been misinterpreted but I hope the women
will take what I said seriously,” she said.

However, Namugala could not
respond to the specific complaints that people like Jonas Shakafuswa, Ng’andu
Magande and Judith Kapijimpanga had raised against her.

She said
Shakafuswa, Magande and Kapijimpanga were members of the ruling MMD and she
would not talk about their comments in the press.

“My statement was meant
for the women of Zambia, it was looking at why Zambian women are being
discouraged from joining politics, and you know the people and the reasons why
they said what they said. Both Shaka and Judy are members of our party, I don’t
discuss such issues in the press,” said Namugala.

But Kapijimpanga
wondered how Namugala claimed to have been misunderstood.

“The question
is how? I think even my answer there was very explicit. I said I support
Namugala’s statement totally, and in the wake of that statement I am glad she
has realised. But how is that statement going to help us, especially that she’s
the one who is engaged in that vice of making politics dirty?” she
asked.

Kapijimpanga said principally and morally, women should rise to
the challenge and take up leadership positions because they were very good
leaders.

She said the conduct of women leaders like Namugala gave a minus
to the demands by women to assume leadership positions.

Kapijimpanga said
she was shocked to hear Namugala propagating the rights of women when she was
the one who maligned them.

“I would not do what she does to other women.
I would totally support her because I know she works hard,” Kapijimpanga said.
“But then the vice, the illicit vice of wanting to malign others is the vice
that she should venture to stop.”

Kapijimpanga wondered why Namugala
complained of dirty politics when she had realised that the game was
dirty.

“I have not misunderstood her because I said I support her
statement and I am glad she has said it. Maybe she has realised that what she
has been doing is bad. Icikwanka bachimona kumampalanya, once beaten, twice shy.
I will be very careful next time. I would not totally trust a person after one
has hurt me,” she said.

Kapijimpanga advised Namugala that she would
better speak to women through her actions and not words.

She said she was
not saying what she was saying out of bitterness, but out of
love.

“Although she is talking about things which are right, she is
incapable of helping the women because she has not done anything in that
regard,” said Kapijimpanga.

Last Sunday, Namugala said Zambian politics
were very dirty especially for women.

But others reacted by revealing the
dirty politics Namugala practiced.

Shakafuswa narrated how Namugala
incited for his firing as deputy science and technology minister, accusing him
of having close links with former first lady Maureen Mwanawasa who was said to
be interested in the presidency.

Kapijimpanga said Namugala refused to
campaign for her in Kanchibiya, saying she would rather campaign for a
dog.Magande revealed how Namugala helped propagate the lies on Zambian
Airways against him.